Warriors: Waspeye's Story
by CAPTAINPRICE79
Summary: Waspeye, a warrior of Thunderclan. His best friend since kithood, and secret love interest, Brownfur. The one major thing in the way of confession? Brownfur is another tom. Follow Waspeye as he grows from kit to warrior. From best friends to maybe...just maybe...lover to his friend.
1. Prologue

**Hello, friends. It has been far too long since I last uploaded, both on FF and AO3, and for that I apologize. I've been distracted by life. Friends. Other stories. Two in particular, though I'm unsure if they will be posted on AO3 or not. Perhaps in the future, when I have more material for both. I recently got back into reading the Warriors books, and with them came a desire to return to this abandoned story. I've improved so much since I've left, and I want to show that to you. I'm still not great, but I'm better than I was. And that's all that matters, that I have improved. In the future, who knows, I might just touch up some of my other stories. Not a complete redo like this, just...easier to read. To understand. Anyway, I've rambled long enough. I think it's time to get onto the story, don't you?**

The sky was dark, filled with stormclouds and the rare glimpse of stars. Rain lashed the quarry that Thunderclan called their home. The forest – as well as the other territories – did not fare much better, as was expected. The wails of a birthing queen, muffled by a stick clenched in taught jaws, echoed through the camp. Most cats went about their business, though a few grumbled as they tried to sleep, but were kept awake by the wails and hard-falling rain.

In the leader's den, Jaystar lay in her nest. Unable to sleep, she instead stared out into the clearing, listening to the wails of Cloverfoot. Nobody knew who had fathered her coming kit, and she refused to say. Nobody had come forward, even when it had been announced at the previous gathering three days prior. There had been whispers, rumors, but for the time being that was all they remained.

Their medicine cat, Ivytail, had been with Cloverfoot for a while now. _'Surely the kit must be close by now?' _she thought, ear flicking in worry. After a few moments she stood, her deputy, Brackenfur, stirring. There was little room in the warrior's den, and being the kind-hearted cat he was, he had volunteered his nest as space for the soon-to-be warrior, Echopaw. It was commendable, though she would never say it to his face. He was insufferable enough as it was, even if he only acted that way to get a rise out of her and was always careful not to go too far. It didn't help they were mates, which meant he knew exactly how to go about that.

"Where are you going?" he asked quietly, Jaystar glancing back at him.

"I'm going to make sure Cloverfoot is okay," she answered. "I'm worried."

"You have kits once, and suddenly you're an expert on how long kits take to come?" he playfully asked, Jaystar glaring at him. After a moment she sighed, sitting down.

"No," she said, looking down at the floor of the alcove. "But I'm still worried."

"She'll be fine," Brackenfur reassured her, standing and padding over. He nudged her with his head. "Your sister is strong. Just like you, Jay."

Jaystar rolled her eyes. "Starclan above, you know I hate it when you call me that," she muttered.

"I thought you liked it," Brackenfur replied, mock hurt in his voice. She looked over at him, unable to help the smile that touched her muzzle. Yes, he knew how to get a rise out of her, but he knew exactly how to make her feel better, too.

"Sometimes," she conceded, blinking warmly at him. He returned it, and in the same moment the wailing quieted. They both perked up, turning their heads and padding forward. They stuck their heads out, looking down towards the nursery, neither caring about the rain. A quick glance around revealed quite a few other heads poking from dens. After a few moments Ivytail stuck his head out of the den, but came no further.

"Cloverfoot is okay," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear him. Jaystar closed her eyes as relief swamped through her. With a flick of her tail telling Brackenfur to stay where he was, she bound down the path to her den and quickly made her way to the nursery. Ivytail stepped back inside as she appraoched.

As she stepped inside, she was relieved to see Cloverfoot breathing deeply, the stick she'd been clamping down on a kitstep away. Looking down at the now-suckling kit, she was surprised to see its fur was a very clear red. A black back and a striped tail held the same coloration.

"No clan cat I know has a pelt like that," she said, looking to her sister. Cloverfoot gave away nothing, looking up at Jaystar with a smile. She couldn't help but return it. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you," her sister replied, looking down at her kit. "I think I'll call him Waspkit."

"A fitting name," Ivytail said, his eyes bright with adoration and relief. A frown very briefly touched Jaystar's muzzle, though it shifted back to a smile before either cat noticed. She wasn't surprised he'd never gotten over his crush on her sister back when they'd been apprentices. She was glad that he was able to ignore it and fulfill his duties, however.

She couldn't hold it against him. You could not help falling in love, or who you fell in love with. Starclan knew she understood that.

"Is there anything else you need to do, Ivytail?" she asked, the medicine cat looking at her with surprise in his eyes for a heartbeat.

"No, Jaystar," he answered. "I've done all I can."

"Good," she said, looking back down at her sister.

It took a moment for him to take the hint, though as soon as he did he let out a quiet, "Right," and walked out before running for his den. Alone, Jaystar lowered herself so that she was laying in front of her sister.

"Tell me the truth, Cloverfoot," she said. "Who is Waspkit's father?"

Cloverfoot didn't answer for a long moment, as if she hadn't heard the question. She simply stared down at her kit.

"Cloverfoot," Jaystar repeated. Her sister finally looked up at her. "Who fathered him?"

"I can't tell you," she said. Jaystar blinked, taken aback.

"Why not?" the she-cat asked, confused. "Is he threatening you? If he is I'll-"

"No, I'm not being threatened, and I'm not in danger," Cloverfoot reassured her. "But I promised I wouldn't tell, and so I won't."

Jaystar felt a flash of anger heat her fur. "Cloverfoot, tell me who Waspkit's father is," she ordered, her tone leaving no room for misinterpretation.

"No," the queen replied. "I'm sorry, Jaystar. You're my sister, and I love you, but I will not break my vow for you. You would do the same in my position."

"Yeah," Jaystar conceded. "I know. Just...I just need to know you're safe."

"I am," Cloverfoot replied. "You don't have to worry."

"I'll always worry," Jaystar said, leaning forward and licking the top of her sister's head. "That's my job as your leader _and_ your sister."

Cloverfoot laughed. "Get back to your den," she said, smiling warmly. "You need some sleep."

"I'll come see you again in the morning," Jaystar said, Cloverfoot nodding in response. Jaystar turned and padded out, quicly making her way back to her den. Brackenfur was waiting in the nest, tail flicking idly.

"Hey there," he said, happy to see her return. "You're wet."

"That happens when it rains," she replied, laying down on the nest and closing her eyes. Now that Cloverfoot's kit had arrived safely, she found herself suddenly exhausted.

"Well, that won't do," Brackenfur said, and before she could tell him it was okay he was licking her dry. She couldn't find it in her heart to complain, but she surprised even herself when she started to purr. Brackenfur just kept licking, and before she knew it she was drifting off.

Ivytail sat in his den, sorting herbs and putting old, dry ones in a pile to be discarded. Herbs were plentiful this Greenleaf, so he could afford to be picky, but he would have to stop come Leaf-fall. _'Only two more moons,'_ he thought, sighing to himself. Oh, if only Greenleaf could last forever.

He shook his head, looking outside. A smile touched his muzzle when he saw Waspkit playing with Brownkit. It had been two moons since they had been born, only days apart. Both had quickly become close friends once they'd opened their eyes and started moving around, and he was relieved at how well the other cats treated Waspkit.

It was a matter of time before he started to question things, though. And Starclan help Cloverfoot having to explain why he didn't have a father like Brownkit did. Or anybody he asked.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a small weight bumping into him, the tom looking down to find Waspkit standing up after seemingly being knocked away by Brownkit's playfighting. He looked around, tilting his head curiously, then looked up and locked gazes with Ivytail. He hunched down in reflex, eyes widening.

"I'm sorry!" he squeaked, turning so that he faced the larger tom and scurrying backwards. Ivytail couldn't help but _mrow!_ with laughter.

"It's alright, Waspkit," he said. "What are you and Brownkit playing?"

Sensing he wasn't in trouble, the kit's eyes lit up with excitement. "We're pretending to be warriors!" he exclaimed as Brownkit trotted over. "We're fierce!"

"Yeah!" Brownkit said, lightly batting Waspkit's ear. The red-furred kit squeaked and leapt at him, bowling his friend over. Ivytail chuckled in amusement.

"Why don't you two go be warriors outside," he suggested, both kits pausing and looking at him. "I'm trying to count herbs."

"Oh, right. Sorry," Waspkit said, turning and scampering out. Brownkit echoed Waspkit's apology, then followed. Ivytail smiled as they left, amused by their energy.

"Starclan above, I can only hope to have that kind of energy," he said to himself, going back to sorting herbs. His ears were strained for their inevitable return. They were a curious pair, only made worse by their shared wonder about everything.

It was well past sun-high by the time he finished sorting his herbs, making a note to retreive more tomorrow, when he had more time. He proceeded to return the fresh herbs to their store. As he was putting a bundle of borage away, he heard a screech of pain. He dropped the leaves and whipped his head around, rushing out of his den.

Waspkit lay on the ground, writhing in pain. Brownkit stared in horror, looking up at Ivytail as he rushed over. Cloverfoot stuck her head out of the nursery, and as soon as she laid eyes on Waspkit her eyes widened and she ran over.

"What happened?" she asked, fear in her voice.

"I don't know," Ivytail said, staring down at Waspkit and trying to figure out what was causing it. "He doesn't look hurt."

"We...we were being warriors," Brownkit whimpered. "We were just playing, and then a wasp came out of nowhere and landed on him. He tried to bat it away and it stung his face."

Ivytail looked at Cloverfoot, nodding his head. "Bring him into my den," he said, turning and hurrying back to his den. Cloverfoot bent down and picked Waspkit up by the scruff, carrying him towards the crack in the cliff face as Brownkit followed her, worried for his friend.

"Will he be okay?" Brownkit asked as he followed Cloverfoot into the medicine cat den.

"He'll be fine," Ivytail said, retrieving blackberry leaves, dandelion, and marigold. He also snagged a bit of celandine, just in case, though he would only apply that if the eye had been stung or the area around it had been stung.

"Are you sure?" Cloverfoot asked worriedly, setting her kit down.

"Of course," Ivytail answered, blinking reassuringly. "Hold him still."

Cloverfoot held Waspkit down with a paw as Ivytail leaned his head down, investigating for where he had been stung. Unable to find anything, he looked at Brownkit.

"Where did you say he was stung?" he asked, the kit silent for a moment.

"I...I'm not sure," he said. "I couldn't tell, aside from it was on his face, next to his eye."

"Alright, we need to get a look at his eye," Ivytail said. "But we can't force it open. We'll have to wait until he opens it on his own. For now, we wait."

Ushering the two worried cats out, Ivytail sat down next to Waspkit and watched him, waiting for him to open his eyes.

The sun was starting to lower in the sky, and Ivytail had gone back to putting the remaining herbs away. He was finishing up when he heard a tiny, weak _meow_ of confusion. He turned his head, noticing Wapkit raising his head.

"Where am I?" the kit asked, looking up as Ivytail peered down at him. "Ivytail?"

"It's alright," the tom said reassuringly, noticing only the kit's right eye was open. "Can you open your right eye?"

"It hurts," Waspkit whimpered, Ivytail smiling softly.

"I know," he said. "But I need to look at it, and I can't unless you open your eye."

"Oh, okay," Waspkit replied. He didn't do anything for a moment, then winced as he slowly opened his eye. The corner of it was pink, Ivytail frowning.

"It seems the wasp stung you in the eye," he said. "But, luckily for you, they don't leave behind stingers. You can still see?"

"Yeah," Waspkit answered.

"Good," he said. "I'll give you some herbs, then keep you in here for a day or two to keep watch, but from what I can tell you're not in any danger. But next time, try not to bat at a bee or wasp that's on your face."

"I won't," the kit said, laying his head back down. "I was really looking forward to playing with Brownkit."

"You'll have plenty of time to play with your friend when you're better," Ivytail said. "It's only a short while. It's not like neither of you will be here tomorrow."

"I know," Waspkit said. He was silent for a moment, Ivytail starting to chew up the herbs he'd pulled out to treat Waspkit with. "I have a question."

_'Oh Starclan, don't do this to me,' _he thought, closing his eyes. Spitting out the poultice, he approached Waspkit. "What's that?" he asked, carefully applying the poultice around his eye.

"All cats have fathers, right?" Waspkit asked. He froze, silent a moment.

"Uh, yeah," he hesitantly said, making sure he hadn't gotten the poultice into Waspkit's eye. Nodding to himself, he went about crushing the celandine.

"So, where's mine?" Waspkit asked, Ivytail pausing in his task and looking over at him. "And who is he?"

"I don't know, Waspkit," he said after a moment. "Wherever and whoever he is, though, I'm sure he loves you."

"What if he doesn't know I exist?" Waspkit asked, making the medicine cat falter.

"Uh, well, I'm sure he does," he answered. "It wouldn't be difficult to figure out."

Waspkit was silent a long moment, then raised his head. "I know medicine cats are forbidden, but..."

"No, Waspkit," Ivytail said. "If I were your father, I would have stopped being a medicine cat."

"Even without an apprentice?" Waspkit asked, as if surprised.

"Yes," he answered. "I was close to your mother, at one time, but we both moved on and accepted our duties. If I broke the code, I would admit to it. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Waspkit said. "It's not your fault."

"Knowing something isn't your fault doesn't help you feel any less guilty when you feel like it is," Ivytail replied. "Every cat learns that at some point."

"I understand," the red-furred kit said. They both fell silent, Ivytail going back to what he had been doing. When he was done he trickled the juice into Waspkit's eye, the young tom doing well at not flinching away from it, as well as keeping his eye open.

"You're a good patient," Ivytail said playfully. Sundown was approaching. "Let's hope I don't have to see you frequently."

"Yeah," Waspkit agreed. Ivytail smiled faintly, then flicked the kit with his tail.

"Don't hesitate to wake me if you feel there's something wrong," he said. "I'll go tell Cloverfoot I'm done. I'll bring you some fresh-kill on my way back."

"I like voles," Waspkit said. Ivytail _mrowed_ with laughter, walking out of the den and padding to the nursery.

He rather liked Waspkit. He had a feeling the red-furred tom would make quite the warrior.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody, I'm back! I thought I might wait a week, but then decided that I have absolutely **_**zero**_**self restraint so I'm going to burn myself out on this and get through as much as I feasibly can in as little time as I can with absolutely zero planning or a pre-conceived list of what cats are called or what clan they belong to. Don't judge me. This is exactly the same thing I did with my ****_Zootopian Assassins _****story and that turned out all right! Minus the murder and mayhem and needs-to-be-redone Chapter 50. But enough rambling. I hope you liked the prologue, and I hope you continue to like what I put out. I don't know when I'll be active, or if I'll continue being active after I finish this story, but I **_**will**_**finish this story even if I have to possess somebody after dying of dehydration and starvation trying to get it done. So without further ado, let's get on with the chapter!**

The camp was abuzz with activity. Warriors returned from patrol, warriors went out on patrol. Some returned from the borders, some returned or set out to hunt. Near the nursery, Waspkit curled up in Cloverfoot's nest, resting as per Ivytail's orders. It had been three days since he had been allowed out of his den, and three days more since he had been stung. All seemed fine. He could see just as well as he could before. There didn't seem to be any risk of infection. Nothing was wrong.

Not unless one counted the pink tinge the corner of his eye had taken on, and which still refused to go away. Besides that, there wasn't anything different or odd about his recovery. It wasn't noticeable unless one was at least a tail-length or two away, but it was still noticeable. Ivytail was worried, but Waspkit couldn't understand why. There was nothing wrong with his vision, so what was the problem?

His ear twitched at the sound of light pawsteps approaching, the young tom raising his head and opening his eyes. Brownkit stood at the entrance to the nursery, Waspkit's eyes lighting up in joy when he saw his friend.

"I came to see if you were okay," the brown-furred tom said, stepping into the den cautiously. "Ivytail seems worried."

"Ivytail worries over the smallest scrapes," Waspkit replied, rolling his eyes. "It's his job to worry, anyhow. If he won't, who else will?"

Brownkit didn't respond for a moment, looking down for a moment. Waspkit's expression faltered, the tom standing and padding over. He leaned his head down, getting his friend's attention, then smiled reassuringly.

"You sure?" Brownkit asked, worry in his voice and eyes.

"I'm fine," Waspkit reassured. "Just a bit of...discoloration, I think he called it?"

"I think so."

"Yeah, and he already said it's not infected yet, so it probably won't be," Waspkit continued. "There's nothing wrong with my eye." Seeing Brownkit looking calmer, his ears perked up as an idea came to him. "Let's play!"

"What? No, we can't!" Brownkit replied, looking surprisingly scared at the prospect. "You're supposed to be resting!"

"That's right," Ivytail said as he stuck his head into the den. Waspkit shrunk, looking down dejectedly. The older tom chuckled. "But I suppose a game of mossball won't hurt." Both kits looked up at him, smiles touching their muzzles as they looked at each other with clear excitement.

"Thank you!" Waskpit exclaimed, Ivytail smiling down at him.

"I remember what it was like to be a kit," he replied, softly batting the red-furred tom's ears. "Not like I'm as old as Jaystar."

"I heard that," Jaystar's voice called from a short distance away, the sound of pawsteps reaching the ears of all three toms. Ivytail's eyes widened in mock fear, the kits laughing. "Waspkit, it seems you're well enough to conspire play time after being ordered to stay in your nest. If that's the case, I need to talk to you."

"Oh, uh...actually, now that you mention it, my eye is a little sore..." Waspkit said, clearly trying to get out of it.

"Well, in that case you should return to Ivytail's den," the she-cat replied, still outside the den. "I'm sure he'd be more than happy to have you help around with herbs for the rest of the day, after he puts more celandine juice on your eye."

"Oh, what do you know, I'm cured!" Waspkit said, hurrying out of the den and skidding to a stop in front of Jaystar.

"A miracle," she meowed dryly. Ivytail and Brownkit poked their heads out of the den, curious what was going on. She didn't acknowledge them. "How's your eye? Serious answer."

"Ugh, it's _fine!_" Waspkit said, unable to keep his annoyance down. He blinked apologetically. "Sorry. But it's like I told Ivytail. I can see just fine. He can't find anything wrong with it, aside from the-"

"The discoloration is to be expected," Ivytail interrupted, Jaystar looking over at him. "It happens when an eye is irritated. It should have cleared up by now, though."

"So aside from some discoloration that refuses to go away, he's perfectly fine?" Jaystar questioned, Ivytail nodding. "Then I see no reason to keep him cooped up in the nursery. I'm not so ancient I don't remember what it's like to be a kit. Full of energy, few ways to get it out."

Ivytail shrunk under his pelt, averting his gaze.

"You were a different litter from Cloverfoot, right?" Brownkit asked, Jaystar nodding.

"I was," she answered. "But I still considered it my job to watch out for her, before I became leader. I am still her older sister, after all. And you always watch out for your kin, so long as it doesn't interfere with your duties."

"But...what if you were in a battle," Brownkit began, "and Cloverfoot was being attacked. You could save her, but doing so meant you couldn't order a retreat. And if you ordered the retreat, you would have to leave her behind?"

Jaystar's expression softened. "I would do everything in my power to get to her," she answered. "However, there comes a point where your clan must come before your kin. It's not fair, but that's just how it is. And if I had to choose between my sister and the safety of my clan, I would have no choice but to choose my clan."

Both kits looked at each other, then nodded.

"However," Ivytail interjected, his tone soft, comforting, "the lake territories are peaceful. It's unlikely there will be a battle any time soon."

"Ivytail's right," Jaystar said. "Besides, kits shouldn't be thinking about that kind of thing. Why don't you two go play?"

"Okay!" Waspkit said excitedly, more than happy to get away from the subject. "Come on, Brownkit!"

"Stay away from the camp walls!" Ivytail called after them. It wasn't clear if the kits heard him, but he had to assume they had. He sighed, Jaystar _mrowing _in amusement. Brackenfur padded over from the fresh-kill pile, two mice danging from his jaws by their tails.

"I'll join you in a moment," Jaystar said, the tom nodding and moving towards their usual spot.

"You could have done worse," Ivytail commented, inclining his head after Brackenfur.

"Like Cloverfoot?" Jaystar asked, the tom blinking in confusion. "I know you know who she was seeing. I'm not an idiot."

"Of course not, Jaystar," he said. "But...well, I don't. I have some suspicions, but I'm not sure about any of them."

"Meet me and Brackenfur in my den after sundown," she said after a moment of thought. "We'll discuss it there." She stood to join Brackenfur where he lay down, waiting for her with the mice.

"Is it really any of our business?" Ivytail questioned, the she-cat turning to look at him with a surprised expression. "She's not in danger. She's not being threatened. She's made no remarks about leaving. It's entirely possible she realized she made a mistake and just wants to move on from it. It benefits nobody bringing it up."

Jaystar was silent for a long moment, looking towards where Cloverfoot rested under the shade of the rock path up to her den, watching Waspkit and Brownkit playing. Her sister had a content smile on her muzzle, eyes sparkling with love for her kit. Seeming to sense the gaze on her, she looked up and met Jaystar's gaze. She blinked in greeting, then looked back to the kits.

Jaystar turned back to Ivytail. "I know that," she admitted. "But I have to know."

"Why?" the medicine cat questioned, tilting his head.

"So I know what to expect if some tom comes strutting into camp asking to meet his kits," she answered. "Whether that might happen or not, I want to be prepared."

"Fine," Ivytail conceded, nodding his head. "I'll join you and Brackenfur after sundown."

"Thank you," Jaystar said. "I know this might be hard for you."

"It's like you said," the tom replied, licking a paw and running it over his ear. "The clan comes first. Whether we like it or not."

The she-cat nodded, turning away and padding towards Brackenfur. She crouched down beside him, the two starting to eat. Ivytail watched them for a moment, then turned and padded towards the fresh-kill pile and grabbed himself a squirrel before heading towards his den.

The half-moon was high in the sky by the time Ivytail arrived at the moonpool, finding the other medicine cats sitting around, waiting for him.

"What do you know, the Thundercat decided to show up," Snakepelt, the Shadowclan medicine cat, meowed.

"I'm so sorry," Ivytail said. "I was discussing something with Jaystar and Brackenfur and I forgot it was the half-moon."

"Waspkit?" Featherfern, the Windclan medicine cat, asked. Her apprentice, Moorpaw, looked at Ivytail with wide eyes. She was enthralled, as ever.

"Y-yes," the tom answered hesitantly. "They were asking who I suspected might be the father."

"You think it was another clan cat?" Streamsplash, the Riverclan medicine cat, asked.

"With fur like that?" his former apprentice, Minnowpelt, responded sarcastically. "It has to be a loner or a rogue."

"All evidence points to that, yes," Ivytail admitted, hanging his head.

Surprisingly, it was Snakepelt that seemed to realize how the discussion was making him feel. His tail rested comfortingly on his shoulder, the Shadowclan tom blinking reassuringly.

"We should do what we came here to do," he said, retracting his tail. The other medicine cats nodded.

"Yes, let's," Featherfern said. The medicine cats took their places around the moonpool, leaning down and pressing their noses to the cool water.

The half-moon was lowering towards the trees by the time all the medicine cats awoke. Ivytail had been the first, receiving no visions or warnings from Starclan. The only thing he'd seen had been some clanmates who had died, and all they'd exchanged were greetings. If he was being honest, he was relieved.

The other medicine cats had experienced similar dreams, which further relieved the tom. Snakepelt approached him, nudging him with his shoulder. "So, Thundercat, when are you going to get an apprentice of your own?" he asked playfully, Ivytail chuckling.

"Just as soon as you do," he replied.

"Bah!" the older tom responded, shaking his heads. "I got plenty more moons in me before I gotta train a wide-eyed brat."

"Hey!" Moorpaw exclaimed, all the other medicine cats expressing amusement. It took her a moment to realize he had said it jokingly, at which point she visibly relaxed and even managed to let out a _mrow_ of laughter.

"No, but seriously, Snakepelt has a point," Featherfern said. "Starclan above, I can't believe I said that."

It was the Shadowclan tom's turn to exclaim "Hey!" indignantly. Moorpaw snickered.

"I don't know," Ivytail said, shrugging. "Whenever there's a cat I think is right for the role."

"What the Thundercat said," Snakepelt said, preempting any similar questions directed at him. "But, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I'll concede that I should be looking for one sometime soon."

"We should head back," Minnowpelt said, the other medicine cats looking at her. "Sun will be coming up soon. I'd like to be in my nest before it does."

"I have to agree with...what's the term, fish-face?" Featherfern asked playfully, Minnowpelt rolling her eyes.

"Yes," she answered.

"Yeah, I have to agree with fish-face," Featherfern finished. "Some of us have a longer trek than others. We should be mindful of that."

"You're right," Ivytail said, nodding. They all stood and started walking down the path that lead to the lake and the Thunderclan border with Windclan. The walk was made with small talk for most of the time, but near the end Snakepelt looked at Ivytail.

"How is Waspkit, anyway?" the tom asked, drawing the attention of the other medicine cats.

"Oh, uh...he's fine," Ivytail said, caught off guard by the question. "I mean, he got stung in the eye recently, but he's made a full recovery."

"Nothing wrong with his vision?" Featherfern asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Nothing," Ivytail answered. "A bit of discoloration around the area of the sting, but that's to be expected. It just refuses to go away, for some reason."

"It's not infected, is it?" Moorpaw asked worriedly.

"No, wound's clean," Ivytail said. "For all intents and purposes, Waspkit is perfectly healthy."

"That's good to hear," Snakepelt said, Ivytail humming in response. Featherfern, Streamsplash, and Minnowpelt split off with a farewell, heading for their camps, and Snakepelt soon split off to walk along the lake back to Shadowclan territory.

Ivytail returned to camp a short while later and immediately made his way to his nest, closing his eyes and getting comfortable. _'Snakepelt was oddly interested in Waspkit'_ he thought to himself. _'Can't blame him, though. He's been a curious cat for as long as I've known him, and Waspkit is certainly a curiosity.' _Sleep took him soon after, and he went to sleep content and unworried for the first time in moons. Whether that would last, though, remained to be seen.


	3. Chapter 2

**I'm back once again in short order, with more words typed in a little less than a week's time for this story than words I've typed for what I consider my main projects in over two months. Chapters have been a bit shorter than I would like them to be, but it's acceptable since right now it's more about establishing characters and the inter-clan relationships than it is actually furthering the plot. I'd say maybe two or three more chapters, possibly four depending on how I feel about it, and then things will pick up a bit more. I kinda wanna focus on building the world around the story before I get into the actual plot, which is what every scene not focusing on Waspkit is intended for. It's Warriors, but it's zero of the cats we know. I'll work out a full character sheet and allegiances and everything, then put it at the end of the Prologue and add it to the end of every chapter that it gets updated. But enough of that, I do believe it's time I get to what we all came here for: the story.**

The forest was alive with chirping, squeaking, and tweeting. A mouse scurried from its burrow beneath a tree, looking for something to feed on. It froze suddenly, raising its head and looking around. After a few heartbeats it scurried for a bush, sensing danger. Just before it made it to safety, crimson paws slammed down on it, a quick nip from matching colored jaws sending it into blackness.

A crimson and black cat crouched over the mouse, silent for a moment, then stood and opened their eyes. Green eyes looked around, searching for movement, then lowered towards the ground as they lowered their head and lifted the mouse from the forest floor. Glancing around, they turned and padded in the direction of the rising sun. They ignored any other prey that they heard scurrying to safety, and a short time later they padded into a small clearing where several other cats lounged about in the sun.

"Hey, Alder, how's the hunting?" called a brown tabby. The crimson and black tom flicked his ear, setting the mouse down in a small dip in the ground.

"It's absolutely terrible, Oak," he replied dryly, the tabby flicking their tail in amusement. "All I could find was a mouse."

"Yeah, more like a mouse is all you bothered to catch," another tabby, this one orange, commented. "You've been in a slump for a while. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," Alder replied as he padded over, laying down a tail-length from the tom. "Just felt like I should let the other hunters have a chance, is all."

"Yeah, sure," the orange tabby said, rolling his eyes.

"I don't see you going out any, Dandelion," Alder replied, Oak watching them with interest from where he lay. "Not like you got any excuse anymore."

"Says the tom who brought back a single mouse," Dandelion said, scoffing. His expression softened. "Seriously though, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's _wrong _with me, Dandelion," Alder answered, looking towards where he'd padded into the clearing. "I just...feel like I should be somewhere else."

"Right," Dandelion said, rolling his eyes. "Well, Holly said she wanted to see you. So you should probably go."

"Ugh, what's mother want now?" Alder asked, standing up.

"No idea," Dandelion replied, looking up at him. "Don't keep her waiting, though."

"Yeah, yeah," his brother muttered, padding towards the smallest den in the clearing. He slipped inside, finding Holly waiting.

"Alder, what a pleasure," the she-cat said, flicking her tail in an indication to sit. He did so.

"What is it you wanted to see me about, mother?" he asked, gaze directed at the ground.

"Where's that she-cat you kept sneaking out to see?" Holly asked, narrowing her eyes. He raised his gaze, eyes wide.

"I'm...sorry?" he questioned, playing confused.

"Oh, please. Alder, I'm your mother. I know when my kits are keeping secrets," the black-furred she-cat said, standing up. "I want to meet her."

"Oh, uh..." He averted his gaze. "She left," he said after a moment, looking at Holly hesitantly.

"And where did she go?" she asked, the tom shrugging.

"I don't know," he answered. "She never told me where she was from. Just that it was a long trek."

Holly was silent a long moment, staring at him. He met her gaze, and after a few heartbeats she huffed, conceding. "Alright," she said, sitting back down. "Then we'll have to track her down."

"W-what?" Alder asked, tilting his head.

"What? You think I'm just going to leave it alone?" Holly questioned, scoffing. She stood, stepping around the tom, their pelts brushing as she wound her way behind him and to his other side. "She captured your heart, dragged your attention away from your family, and then ran off when she realized you'd fallen for her. She broke your heart, and I'm just supposed to ignore it? What kind of mother would I be if I did that?"

Alder remained silent a long moment, his heart racing. "O-of course, mother," he said, forcing himself to calm down and look at her. "Thank you for looking out for me."

"Oh, it's nothing," Holly replied, moving back to her nest and facing him. "I would do the same for your brothers and sisters. All of them."

"And we're all thankful," Alder said, swallowing nervously. "Should I tell the others?"

"No," Holly answered, sitting down. "We'll wait a while longer. Let Beech kit and wean, and then we'll set out."

"Of course," Alder said, bowing his head. "Shall I bring you some fresh-kill?"

"No thank you," Holly replied, laying down and getting comfortable. "I'll eat after sun-high. You may go, however."

Dipping his head, the crimson-furred tom turned and padded out of her den. He walked over to Dandelion, unable to hide the fear in his eyes. His brother noticed, of course, but he seemed to recognize that it would be unwise to bring it up.

"You wanna train?" he asked instead, Alder looking at him in surprise. "We can get Oak involved, get him off his tail for once."

"He probably needs it more," Alder joked, nodding his head. Dandelion chuckled and stood, both toms approaching Oak. The brown tabby looked up at them, worry in his eyes.

"Oh no," he said, clearly already realizing what they had in mind.

It had been a moon since Ivytail had met with the other medicine cats, and the discoloration around Waspkit's eye still refused to go away. Aside from that, though, the kit remained perfectly healthy. It didn't seem like it would ever go away, which under normal circumstances would worry him. However, he had come to terms with the fact Waspkit remained in good health, and that the discoloration did not affect his ability to see.

A sigh escaped him as he padded through the forest, searching for herbs. Greypelt, one of Thunderclan's older warriors and the tom who'd fathered him, walked beside him. He was pleasant company, even if he knew next to nothing about herbs.

"So, what is it we're looking for again?" the grey-furred tom asked, Ivytail closing his eyes.

_'Starclan give me strength'_ he thought, opening his eyes and looking at Greypelt. "Borage, for one," he said. "It would be nice if we could collect some coltsfoot and cobwebs, too, but borage is a must. Dustpelt will be kitting soon, and you're both a little old to be having kits."

Greypelt frowned. "We're not _that _old," he replied somewhat indignantly. "We both still have a while before we need to join the elders."

"I give both of you by the time Waspkit becomes a warrior," Ivytail commented. "And that's assuming you both remain in perfect health and don't get injured or sick between now and then."

"Starclan above, you could at least say it nicer," Greypelt muttered, Ivytail's expression softening.

"I'm sorry," he said, laying his tail on the older tom's back. "I've just been under a lot. Keeping an eye on Waspkit, making sure his eye remains clean, and making sure Brownkit doesn't be too rough with him, to name a few. Cloverfoot isn't worried, but..."

"Yeah," his father said, his gaze cast towards the forest floor. He raised it, looking at Ivytail, a smile on his muzzle. "I still remember when you two would sneak out of camp at night. Oh, Jaystar was _furious_ when she caught you coming back into camp."

"Oh, please don't..." Ivytail whined. "We were 'paws. We moved past that."

"You mean _she_ moved past it," Greypelt corrected, and this time it was his turn to rest his tail across Ivytail's back. "I don't think you ever did."

"Maybe not," Ivytail admitted, sighing. "But I won't let it interfere with my duties."

"I know you won't," his father replied. "I'm proud of you. And so is Dustpelt. You're a stronger cat than either of us."

"Just a whisker," Ivytail said teasingly, Greypelt huffing and retracting his tail. They both chuckled and started walking again, and it wasn't much longer before they came across a small patch of borage.

Ivytail let out a breath of relief, showing his father how to pick it correctly. They both got as much as they could carry, nearly picking the patch clean, and turned to set off for camp. Ivytail paused as a scent crossed his nose, turning his head.

_'Shadowclan?' _he wondered, confused. After a moment he brushed it off, turning his head back. Greypelt was waiting a few tail-lengths away, and he started padding as Ivytail reached him. _'We _are_ near the border. Probably just a fresh scent marking wafting this way.'_

It wasn't until they arrived back at camp that he realized the scene had followed them, which he attributed to the borage in his mouth. Snakepelt was talking to Jaystar, a smaller cat next to him. Ivytail tilted his head, but put placing his herbs in his den above his curiosity for the moment.

When he was done he padded out into the open, approaching Snakepelt and Jaystar. A glance towards the nursery revealed Waspkit and Brownkit watching from the entrance. Cloverfoot was washing herself a tail-length away, while Cherrytail – Brownkit's mother – was walking towards the nursery with a squirrel in her jaws.

Tigerstripe, a younger warrior, was watching Snakepelt from next to the warrior's den. He seemed suspicious, though not hostile. Ivytail was relieved.

"Ah, Snakepelt, here's Ivytail." Jaystar's words brought the tom's attention back to the three, both Snakepelt and the mystery cat turning to face him.

"Ivytail, there's my favorite Thundercat!" Snakepelt said excitedly. "And here I thought you only left camp for half-moon and the gatherings."

"A surprise, to be sure," Ivytail replied playfully.

"But a welcome one," Snakepelt said. He blinked, as if coming to a realization. "Ah, right. I almost forgot the other reason for my visit." He looked down at the mystery cat, nudging them gently. They stood up, stepping forward and dipping their head in greeting.

"I'm Ratpaw!" they said, their tail-tip shaking in excitement. Understanding dawned in Ivytail's head.

"Snakepelt, you didn't," he said, looking at the older tom. A smile formed on the Shadowclan tom's muzzle, which caused one to form on Ivytail's in turn. "Starclan above, you finally found yourself a wide eyed brat."

Ratpaw looked up at Snakepelt in confusion, then returned her gaze to Ivytail. She seemed to understand it was a joke between them.

"Yeah, well..." Snakeplet shrugged. "I had a scare with a sprained paw shortly after our meeting at the moonpool, and Ratpaw – Ratkit at the time – volunteered to help me. She was a natural, and curious. So I talked it over with Rosestar, and after another brief talk with Stripepelt and Mousewhisker, I decided I would ask her if she would like to become my apprentice when she reached six moons old. Which was only a few days ago."

Ivytail recalled that Stripepelt and Mousewhisker had been the cats Rosestar had talked about having kits several gatherings ago, and he assumed they must be Ratpaw's parents.

"Well, I'm proud of you," he said, looking down at Ratpaw. "And I'm pleased to meet you."

"Likewise, Ivytail," the she-cat said. "Snakepelt has told me a lot about you."

"I'm sure he has," Jaystar interrupted. "Snakepelt, you said you had another reason for your visit."

"Oh, right, of course. Sorry," the tom said, turning his gaze to Ivytail. He glanced around, then leaned his head forward. "We're running low on herbs. Our territory hasn't been kind recently, and my stock is starting to brown."

"Say no more," Ivytail said. "I just picked some borage, and I have plenty of other herbs if you need them. If Jaystar will allow it, I'll be more than glad to help you transport whatever you need."

"Are you sure you have enough to spare?" Jaystar asked. Ivytail nodded without hesitation.

"I'm sure," he answered, looking to both Snakepelt and Ratpaw. "Come with me to my den."

He turned and padded towards his den, hearing the two Shadowclan medicine cats following him. They didn't spend long, clearly deciding to take the bare minimum they needed. He wanted to tell them to take anything they needed, but he also had to be practical. That meant he couldn't.

"Thank you for your generosity," Snakepelt said, a bundle of herbs at his paws. The three medicine cats stood near the camp entrance. "It means everything to me."

"I would be a poor excuse of a medicine cat if I turned away cats in need," Ivytail replied. "Rockfur always taught me to help those in need, wherever they're from. And that's what I'm doing."

"Your mentor was a good cat," Snakepelt said fondly. "An even better friend. You're filling his paws nicely."

"Thank you," Ivytail said. He smiled fondly as memories played back in his head. "You've been a good friend yourself."

"It's the least I could do," the Shadowclan tom replied. He leaned in. "Now get yourself your own wide eyed brat."

"Well, Greypelt and Mousewhisker are having another litter, so who knows, I might just do that," he said. Snakepelt chuckled.

"Siblings don't count," he said, nudging Ivytail playfully. He rolled his eyes as Snakepelt lowered his head and picked up the herb bundle, Ratpaw holding a smaller bundle in her own jaws. They both dipped their heads in thanks, Ivytail returning it, then turned and walked out of the camp and into the forest beyond.

Waiting a few moments, Ivytail turned and padded back towards his den. As he did so, Sorrelstripe appraoched him. He acknowledged the she-cat with a dip of his head, lost in thought and not noticing her nervous expression as a result. "Ivytail," she said, getting his attention properly. He looked at her.

"Sorry," he said. "Lost in thought."

"It happens," she conceded, and now he noticed the nervous look in her eyes. He sat down, givign her his full attention. She glanced around, then leaned forward. "I think I might be expecting kits."

Blinking in surprise, he pulled his head back. He couldn't recall ever seeing her being especially close with any other cat. "T-that's great," he said, not yet sure why she was nervous besides it being her first little. "Is there an issue?"

"Uh, well..." She averted her gaze, then slightly inclined her head towards the camp entrance. His eyes widened.

"Sorrelstripe, don't tell me..." He trailed off, the she-cat's clear avoiding of his gaze all the answer he needed. "We have to tell Jaystar."

"No!" she hissed, and now there was fear in her eyes. "Ivytail, you have to help me. There must be something you can do."

"No herb I know of is capable of reversing a pregnancy," he said, shaking his head. "Whatever you decide, Jaystar has to be told."

"Oh, I know!" she said, eyes widening as an idea came to her. "Are there any cats in camp that like me?"

He scoffed. "Sorrelstripe, I'm not going to help you manipulate a Thunderclan tom into thinking the kits are his," he said, almost angry at the suggestion. She stared at him a long moment, then deflated and hung her head.

"I understand," she said quietly, turning and padding away. He watched her, then closed his eyes as guilt pulled at his heart.

"Starclan forgive me," he muttered, quickly padding after her. She turned, clearly surprised. He sighed. "I overheard Cloverfoot and Cherrytail discussing Tigerstripe being fond of you."

"Thank you," Sorrelstripe said, the tom shaking his head.

"Don't thank me," he said, disgusted with himself. "Just make sure you tell Jaystar. Or else I will."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked back to his den. He couldn't believe he'd told her what he had. He could play it off as being for the sake of the unborn kits inside of her, but he knew what he'd done was wrong. There was no doubt about it. And nothing could convince him otherwise.

Across the camp from Ivytail's den, Waspkit was busy playfighting with Brownkit as they were wont to do. He got distracted when he noticed Sorrelstripe talking to Tigerstripe, and Brownkit was all too happy to take advantage of it. The brown-furred tom bowled him over, Waspkit bringing his attention back to the pretend battle.

By the time he got a chance to look once more, Sorrelstripe and Tigerstripe were walking through the camp entrance and out into the forest. He was curious what they were talking about.

When Sorrelstripe and Tigerstripe returned, the tom had an almost ecstatic expression. Sorrelstripe looked happy, but more than anything she looked nervous. Ivytail looked up as they entered, meeting the she-cat's gaze. He stood up, grabbing the half-eaten mouse in his jaws and padding to his den. Tigerstripe noticed the fur on his hackles having lifted somewhat, looking at Sorrelstripe curiously. She said nothing, shaking her head in silent response.

Almost immediately after Ivytail had walked into his den, he walked right back out, sans mouse. Sorrelstripe watched as he padded over to where Jaystar and Brackenfur were sharing a pigeon, meowing something to the both of them and glancing over at her. Jaystar and Brackenfur both looked over at her, looked at each other, then lowered their heads and finished eating the pigeon. As they got up and made their way to the leader's den, Ivytail padded towards her.

"Sorrelstripe, Jaystar said she wanted to see you in her den," he said, and as soon as he'd relayed the message he turned and went up to the leader's den.

"What's that about?" Tigerstripe asked, looking at her.

"Not sure," she answered. The tom leaned over and licked her cheek.

"Probably nothing to worry about," he said reassuringly. She looked at him, smiling thankfully.

"You're probably right," she agreed. "Still, I better not keep them waiting."

"Do you want anything to eat from the fresh-kill pile?" he inquired as she stood up.

"Uh, do you mind sharing a squirrel?" she asked. His eyes shone.

"Not at all," he answered, standing and padding towards the fresh-kill pile as she made her way to the leader's den.

Entering the hole in the cliff face, Sorrelstripe looked around at the three cats waiting for her. "You wanted to see me, Jaystar?" she questioned, clearly on edge.

"Ivytail told me that you had news," Jaystar replied, narrowing her eyes. Sorrelstripe looked at Ivytail, jaws parting slightly.

"Uh...yeah, yeah, I do," she said. "I just had hoped to wait a bit longer to tell you."

"Well, you sounded so certain when you came to me," Ivytail said, tilting his head. She glared at him, tail lashing, then looked at Jaystar.

"I, um...I believe I'm expecting kits," she admitted, Jaystar blinking.

"Oh, um, great," she said, confused. "I'm not sure what that has to do with me, though. We're not related."

"When's the last time you saw her hanging out with Tigerstripe?" Ivytail asked, looking at Jaystar. "Besides today. Let alone just them, for extended periods?"

Sorrelstripe looked between the two cats, watching as understanding dawned on Jaystar's face. Brackenfur was somewhat slow on the uptake, but it only took a moment before he inhaled sharply, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Starclan above, not another one," Jaystar muttered, hanging her head. "Alright. Fine. Just please tell me it's a rogue we'll never see again."

"Not...exactly," Sorrelstripe answered hesitantly. "You know Kestrelheart, right?"

"Oh, Starclan above, _why _did it have to be a Windclan warrior?" Brackenfur whispered, sighing heavily. "I suppose it could be worse, though. Could be Riverclan or Shadowclan."

"Could be better, too," Ivytail pointed out. "Ideally it would have been Tigerstripe, but a loner or a kittypet would have been a preferable second choice over a cat from another clan."

"It's not like I planned it!" Sorrelstripe said defensively, looking surprisingly hurt. "When I went to meet him, I wanted to just...tell him it was a bad idea, and then come right back. But he was just...I don't know how to describe it. I sat down and talked, and then I just didn't want to leave. One thing lead to another..."

"You don't have to describe the process," Jaystar said. "And while I obviously do not condone it, I do understand what you mean. I'm with Brackenfur, aren't I?"

"You know you love me," Brackenfur teased, Jaystar looking over at him with an amused expression.

"You're...taking this a lot less...yellingly than I expected," Sorrelstripe said, looking between the three cats in obvious surprise. "I expected you to be angrier."

"Oh, we're definitely angry," Jaystar said, Brackenfur nodding. Ivytail didn't have to express his agreement. Sorrelstripe could tell. "However, we'll..._postpone _your punishment until after all is said and done. Well, most of it."

"Confinement?" Ivytail questioned.

"Confinement," Jaystar confirmed.

"Confinement?" Sorrelstripe asked, tilting her head.

"Confinement," Brackenfur repeated.

"Well, now that we've all gotten a word in..." Jaystar muttered. "Yes, you'll be facing confinement to the nursery the moment you begin showing. Whether you can still function as a warrior or not."

"I'd suggest making sure Tigerstripe will believe they're his," Brackenfur said, Sorrelstripe nodding.

"I suppose this is fair," she said. "If that's all, I think I'll go now. Tigerstripe is waiting for me."

"One last thing," Jaystar said as Sorrelstripe stood to leave. "Don't break his heart, if you can help it."

"I'll do my best," Sorrelstripe replied, dipping her head in farewell and walking out of the den.

The three cats deflated, sinking to a crouching position. They were all silent for a long moment.

"Could things get any worse?" Brackenfur muttered. Jaystar and Ivytail both glared at him, another moment passing before he realized. "I deserve that."


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello, friends! I apologize for the delay between chapters, I've been rather busy and got sucked into reading some more Warriors (particularly, finishing up Vision of Shadows and reading Crowfeather's Trial, with Squirrelflight's Hope being next) in order to build my reservoir of knowledge about the setting back up to what it used to be. I need to do a complete read through of the entire series again, to maximize it, but for now what remains, my recent readings, and a bit of research online will suffice. I've yet to get any reviews, so I'm not sure what people think, but I do hope that you like what has been written so far and are excited to see it develop. Last chapter introduced characters that I believe you will like and characters you will (mostly) hate, and who will play some very crucial roles in the story. Do not worry, as the relationship between Snakepelt and Ivytail will be explored and explained, and you'll find out why they are so close despite being from Shadowclan and Thunderclan, respectively, but I will say now that neither of them are gay. Not canonically, at least. This will be another 'expanding the world' chapter with a return of Alder and his family, and I apologize, though I do believe it necessary. But enough rambling, it's time to get onto the story.**

Several days had passed since Sorrelstripe had told Ivytail, Jaystar, and Brackenfur about her suspected pregnancy. They were keeping the secret to themselves, mutually agreeing it would do nobody any good to try and make cats aware of yet another she-cat having kits with a cat not from Thunderclan. All of them were uncomfortable, but it was agreed to be a necessary evil to maintain peace. Especially considering the unheard-of length of peace and quiet the clans had been experiencing of late, besides the expected herb and prey shortages beginning to worm their way into the territories.

Ivytail had a feeling this decision would come back to bite them, but Jaystar and Brackenfur wanted to focus on the here and now. He couldn't blame them. Nobody wanted to think of what might happen if Kestrelheart put two and two together and challenged them with a claim to the kits. No cat would accept his claim, especially if Sorrelstripe denied it or, at the very least, refused to let her kits be taken from her and refused to leave Thunderclan. There was the possibility he would decide to join Thunderclan – there was precedent for a similar situation, though it had been long, _long _ago – but they had all agreed that was an unlikely outcome.

Sun-high greeted the camp, blinding Ivytail as he looked up briefly. He lowered his gaze, blinking to readjust his vision, and padded towards the nursery. Nearby, Tigerstripe and Sorrelstripe were busy sharing tongues, both seeming content with the presence of the other cat. He had to admit, Sorrelstripe had impressed him with her ability to feign affection, though he knew he shouldn't be impressed. It seemed so real, which worried him and relieved him. On one paw, such an ability to pretend could spell disaster if she decided to use it for nefarious purposes. On the other, it was entirely possible she _was _genuinely falling for the tom. He hoped it was the latter with every fiber of his being.

He stepped through the den entrance, finding Cloverfoot and Cherrytail washing Waspkit and Brownkit, much to both toms' displeasure. Ivytail let out a quiet _mrow _of laughter, all four cats looking up at him.

"Ivytail," Cherrytail said, glancing between him and Cloverfoot. "Is something the matter?"

"No, of course not," he said reassuringly, deciding not to ask her about the glance. He didn't have to. "I just wanted to check on Waspkit."

"Ivytail, I'm _fine_!" Waspkit whined, Cloverfoot lightly batting his ear admonishingly. He let out a quiet mew of complaint, but said nothing else.

"I know that," the older tom said. "But I have to be sure, for my sake if nothing else. I'd never forgive myself if you ended up losing your vision – or even your eye – because I decided that you were fine and something went wrong."

"He's just worried about you," Cloverfoot said, Waspkit raising and turning his head to look at her.

Cherrytail snorted. "Right, I'm sure that's _all _he's here for," she muttered, and even Brownkit stared up at her with wide eyes, everyone unable to believe what she had said.

"You should be more respectful to your medicine cat," Cloverfoot said, clearly wanting to avoid an argument. "He'd visit just as frequently if it had been Brownkit who got stung."

"Because he'd still get to see you," the older she-cat accused, Ivytail letting out a quiet gasp. He couldn't believe her aggression on the matter.

"We were 'paws, Cherrytail!" Cloverfoot snapped, Ivytail unable to get a word in. "We were young and stupid. Besides, at least _I _didn't go straight to the nursery the moment I became a warrior, mated to my mentor."

"No, you just went off and had a kit with a Starclan-forsaken _rogue_, dooming your kit to never have a father!" Cherrytail spat. Waspkit and Brownkit were both crouched, their eyes wide. Waspkit visibly deflated at her words, lowering his gaze, and Ivytail decided enough was enough.

"Both of you, shut up!" he snapped, the she-cats staring at him with shocked expressions. Neither had seen him so angry. "If you want to bicker, fine, but you go too far, Cherrytail! If you have a complaint over two how close me and Cloverfoot were once upon a time, I'm fine with that. But don't you _dare_ go so far as to insinuate that just because he may not _know _his father means he's somehow lesser for it!"

"I-I never said-"

"You didn't have to," he hissed, furious with the she-cat. "You've always been spiteful. It's no wonder..." He trailed off, realizing what he was about to say. Cherrytail and Cloverfoot seemed to realize too. Cloverfoot looked shocked, but Cherrytail just deflated, as if all the air had been sucked out of her, and guilt pierced Ivytail's heart. She wasn't the only one who'd gone too far this day, and as mean as she could be, she didn't deserve what he'd been about to say. "I'm sorry."

"I don't care," she said, laying her head on her paws. "Just conduct your checkup and leave."

Dipping his head, the tom turned to where Waspkit still crouched, his eyes wet. A heavy, crushing silence filled the den, and barely a moment passed before Brownkit padded over and crouched next to Waspkit, pressing against the red-furred kit's flank comfortingly. Finishing his exam of Waspkit's eye, still discolored, he stood up, turned, and padded out of the den. Cloverfoot was right behind him, the tom facing her with an apologetic expression.

"You didn't have to remind her of Boulderfur," she said softly.

"I know," he said, closing his eyes and hanging his head. "I know she misses him, probably more than any of his other kin. I didn't mean to say it, but I was just so..."

"I appreciate your desire to stick up for me," Cloverfoot meowed, smiling warmly. "Just don't let your personal feelings dictate how you do it. And don't pretend that you and your father don't miss him just as much. Greypelt lost his brother, and you lost one of the three cats you were closer two than me."

"You're one to lecture me on personal feelings," he muttered, raising his gaze towards her with a playful smile barely touching his muzzle. She rolled her eyes.

"Like I said. We were young and stupid," she said, shaking her head. "It's for the best we grew up."

"_You _grew up," he corrected. She didn't seem surprised. "I did too, just...not the same way."

"I know," the she-cat said softly. "You're a good friend, Ivytail. I don't want to lose that."

"Nor do I," he replied. A moment passed before both cats awkwardly dipped their heads, then turned and padded back to their respective dens.

Waspkit and Brownkit exited the nursery a heartbeat later, both padding towards one of the unoccupied corners of the camp. They pretended to fight, though neither of their hearts were in it. The argument between their mothers had taken a lot out of them, but it didn't seem to have damaged their friendship.

Jaystar watched them from her perch on Highledge, just outside her den. Brackenfur was entering camp from a hunting patrol, along with Echofoot, Foxear, and Fernpaw. He looked up at her, his ear twitching and head turning towards where Waspkit and Brownkit were starting to cease their halfhearted play-fighting.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he padded over, both kits looking up at him. They hesitated.

"Our parents had an argument, and I..." Waspkit stopped himself, almost having admitted Ivytail's involvement, and averted his gaze. "I just wanted to get away from it for a bit. Brownkit came with me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Brackenfur said softly, sitting down. "May I ask what it was about?"

"Just...normal stuff," Brownkit said hesitantly.

"Was Ivytail involved?" the older tom asked, ear flicking at a fly casually. The silence from both kits told him all he needed to know. "I'll have Jaystar speak to them." He stood up and made to turn away.

"No!" Waspkit said, stopping the tom in his tracks. Brackenfur turned his head, surprised. "I...I don't want them to get in trouble."

"I've known your mothers for a long time," he meowed, taking a deep breath. "If it's not addressed, it'll escalate. And that's bad for everyone."

"But..."

"They won't be in trouble unless they continue," Brackenfur said reassuringly, which seemed to work. Both kits visibly relaxed. "You have my word."

"Thank you," Waspkit said softly, the older tom chuckling.

"Cherrytail is stubborn, but she's not a mouse-brain," he said, quickly casting an apologetic glance at Brownkit. He felt bad saying _anything_ negative about _anybody_, even those who deserved it. With a dip of his head, the tom turned and padded towards Highledge. Jaystar pressed her nose to his in greeting, then looked back towards Waspkit and Brownkit. They had gone back to play-fighting, though they seemed much more into it now.

"What'd you say to them?" she asked curiously, the tom sitting next to her. He took a deep breath, as if preparing himself.

"Cherrytail and Cloverfoot got into an argument, and Ivytail apparently got involved too," he said. "I'm guessing Ivytail was checking up on Waspkit again and Cherrytail remarked on his and Cloverfoot's previous infatuation with one another. It likely escalated from there."

"I see," she said, her voice taking on a noticeable edge. He turned his head, looking at her.

"What are you going to do?" he asked worriedly, knowing how protective she could be at times.

"What I should have done from day one," she muttered, standing up and staring down at the camp below. Brackenfur's eyes widened, wondering if she was really going to go so far as to call a clan meeting.

"Jay..." he said, laying his tail on her back. She glared at him, and he met her gaze steadily. After a few heartbeats she looked back down at the camp.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highledge for a clan meeting!" she called, and Brackenfur was forced to retract his tail as he took a few steps back to let her be the focus of the clan's attention.

Waspkit and Brownkit stared up from the corner of the camp they had been play-fighting in, both exchanging glances before padding over quickly to where Cloverfoot sat outside the nursery. Cherrytail exited a moment later, tail lashing in a gesture for Brownkit to come with her. He hesitated, glanced at Waspkit apologetically, then followed his mother.

"What's this about?" Foxear muttered curiously, Fernpaw looking up at him briefly. She was wondering herself.

"It has come to my attention there are those in my clan who are _still _hesitant to accept Waspkit and Cloverfoot," Jaystar meowed, a few low, awkward murmurs reaching her ears. "Would anybody be willing to stand and explain why?"

It came to no surprise to her that Cherrytail was all too happy to be the first. The queen stood, yowling, "She had a kit with a rouge!" Jaystar forced herself not to respond angrily, though her patience with the queen was already starting to run low with just that single sentence.

"At least she didn't drive her mate away!" Echofoot snapped, several cats gasping. It may have been on many of their minds, but nobody had expected a cat to bring it up. Cherrytail's head jerked back, her gaze resting on the tom for a long moment.

"Echofoot!" Foxear hissed, glaring at him. "Show her some respect! It wasn't like she intended to!"

"She didn't try too hard to stop him, either," the younger tom meowed back, Cherrytail averting her gaze. Waspkit stared at the crowd of cats, unable to see through it, with wide eyes. He turned his head as Cloverfoot started padding towards the cats, weaving through them. Echofoot turned to look at her, blinking in surprise, and the next thing anybody knew he was yowling in pain and stumbling back as the she-cat raked her claws across his face.

"That's enough!" she spat. Jaystar watched, knowing she should reign her cats in but wanting to see how it played out. "I've had my quarrels with Cherrytail, and Starclan knows we rarely get along, but I will not let you disrespect her like this! Think of how she must feel, bringing all of that up! Think of how her kits, all of them, must feel!"

Foxear lowered his head. Fernpaw glanced up at him, then looked to her left at her mentor, Deertail. The she-cat met her gaze, then smiled softly and nodded. Fernpaw nodded in thanks, then pressed against the older tom comfortingly. He glanced down at her, a soft smile on his muzzle. She returned it.

"You don't need to stick up for me," Cherrytail said softly, looking at Cloverfoot. "Especially after what I've said."

"I'd do the same for any cat," Cloverfoot replied, staring at Echofoot for a long moment. "And I know you would too." She turned and padded away, back to where Waspkit still sat, and sat down.

"If anybody else shares Cherrytail's opinions, they are more than welcome to express them," Jaystar said. "Though you'll have a hard time doing so through moss soaked in mouse bile and the ticks you'll be pulling from the elders."

"You're just saying that cause Cloverfoot is your sister!" Tigerstripe called out. Jaystar had to admire his courage in saying it, if nothing else.

"I've always prided myself in my ability to make rational decisions even when kin are involved," she said, her response seeming to confuse the tom. "I'm not saying this because she's my sister. I'm saying this because I'm tired of cats constantly questioning her loyalty and the validity of Waspkit's place in the clan because of a stupid mistake she made. And I will have no more of it."

Several cats bowed their heads, even Cherrytail. She was relieved, knowing it could have gone much worse.

"Echofoot, go see Ivytail," she ordered, the tom dipping his head and padding towards the medicine cat's den. The swipe from Cloverfoot was still bleeding, though it seemed to be minor from what she could tell from her position. A moment passed as she considered whether to follow through on her threat and have Tigerstripe pick the ticks from the elders, then decided not to. His complaint had been valid, even if not true.

The clan meeting had brought to her attention that, despite the inter-clan peace, there was a lot of building hostility within her own clan. She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

The cats, realizing the meeting was over, disbanded and went back to whatever they had been doing previously. Cherrytail and Cloverfoot stared at each other for a moment before the older she-cat approached, Brownkit beside her.

"Thank you," Cherrytail hesitantly said. "I'm sorry for what I said. I guess I just...lashed out, due to my grief. Or whatever Ivytail would call it."

"He's wise beyond his years," Cloverfoot said. "Always has been." She was silent a moment. "You're forgiven, of course. I've never believed in holding grudges. And I'm sorry for what I said, as well, and I know Ivytail is."

Cherrytail didn't respond immediately. She glanced down at Brownkit, then lowered her head and nudged him. "Go play with Waspkit," she said. The two kits exchanged glances, looked at their respective mothers, then hurried off without waiting to be told twice. Both she-cats watched them leave, then looked at one another. Cherrytail took a deep breath. "How'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Cloverfoot asked, tilting her head.

"Get over Ivytail," the older she-cat answered. "You were both so maddeningly close. You both clearly loved one another. How do you get over that?"

Cloverfoot blinked, caught off guard by the question. She could understand why Cherrytail was asking, but she'd never expected to have been asked at all.

"Well, I...focused on other things, mostly," she answered after a moment to think her answer over. "I focused on becoming a warrior. And when that happened, I focused on whatever else I could find. But nothing worked, not truly. So I told Jaystar I needed to leave for a while. I did, journeyed for a while. Never went _far_, but far enough away that I could just focus on myself and surviving without anything else interfering."

"You met Waspkit's father on this journey?" Cherrytail asked, tilting her head. Cloverfoot was relieved to hear the she-cat's tone was sincerely curious, without any of the venom from earlier.

"I did," she said, dipping her head. "I never intended for anything to become of it, much less what did. He brought me food from time to time, and we talked just about every night. I was glad for the company, truth be told. I was away from my clan, everyone I knew. Being lonely was natural, and I let my loneliness manipulate me into thinking I might build something with him. But he wanted me to come meet his family, and I realized just how much time had passed. I panicked, told him that I would the following day, and when he left...I just ran. I came straight back here, barely stopping but to rest."

Cherrytail stared at her silently, and Cloverfoot could see the petty desire to judge her warring with her sense of empathy. Eventually she chose the latter, her expression softening.

"You made the right choice," she meowed. "Nursery would be lonely without you."

"Wow, that was almost a compliment," Cloverfoot said, Cherrytail huffing in amusement. "So, what? Are we...are we friends now, or something?"

"Friends would be nice," Cherrytail said. "Though we'll probably still argue."

"Oh, good, here I was afraid things would get boring," Cloverfoot meowed playfully. Cherrytail chuckled, both she-cats standing and padding over to where their kits were playing.

They hadn't finished bathing them, after all.

Alder lounged in the sun, eyes closed and tail contentedly swishing back and forth across the ground. He let out a long, slow exhale. It had been a moon since Beech had kitted, and he'd never seen Oak happier. Not even when he'd initially found out she was expecting his kits. He was happy for the tom, if he was honest with himself, and he was happier still that it had coincided so perfectly with Holly's decision to go after the she-cat he'd been seeing.

That decision, on the other paw, still haunted him. He knew exactly what it was she was going to do if she found her, and he could never allow that. He'd sooner fight the whole camp than be forced to witness that.

With a grunt, the tom stood up and turned to pad towards Holly's den. He froze when he found her standing right there, apparently having been coming over to him. At least he hoped that was what she'd been doing.

"Alder," she meowed.

"Mother," he said, dipping his head respectfully. "I was just about to come see you."

"I'm glad to hear it, because I wanted to speak with you," the she-cat replied. Without another word, she turned and started walking back towards her den. He didn't hesitate to follow, the two cats stepping into the cooler, darker den. Alder sat down, silent, as Holly got comfortable in her nest once more.

"What is it you wanted to see me about?" he meowed curiously, tilting his head slightly. Holly remained silent for a moment, simply narrowing her eyes. His heart began to race, wondering if perhaps she somehow knew of his thoughts. He relaxed somewhat when her expression relaxed, though her tail did flick in annoyance.

"A tuft is sticking up on your cheek," she finally said. He didn't know how he managed to not betray his relief that her silence had simply been her annoyance at some fur being out of place. "I'll fix it in a moment. For now, prepare to leave."

He blinked. "I thought we weren't leaving until Beech's kits were weaned," he meowed evenly, forcing himself to remain calm.

"We're not," Holly replied. "I'm sending you on forward scouting. I want you to see if you can pick up that she-cat's scent and track her to where she lives. You will find her, return to us, and then guide us to her."

"Are you sure?" he asked, surprised at her words. She nodded.

"You're one of my most trusted Sons," she meowed, almost seeming surprised that he hadn't expected it. "I know you would never let me down."

"Of course I wouldn't, Mother," he replied, giving the she-cat a reassuring smile. "I would never dream of it."

"Good," Holly said. Alder stood, turning to leave. "You had something you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, right," he said, looking at her. "I was simply going to ask if I could do what you've already ordered of me."

"I do like when a Son of mine takes the initiative," she purred, Alder blinking warmly at her as she stood up and stepped up to him. She extended her head forward, licking his cheek, and he realized she was flattening the tuft that had likely been driving her mad, then pulled away. "Will you send Oak to me when you leave? I'd like to talk to him about the time he's been spending in camp."

"Of course, Mother," he promised, walking out of her den. Oak was letting Marigold and Nettle – his and Beech's kits – ride on his back, and Alder felt bad having to interrupt them.

"Alder, hey," Oak said warmly as the red-furred tom approached. Nettle and Marigold turned to look at him, their eyes widening excitedly.

"Alder, can we ride you next?" Marigold asked, the crimson cat silent for a moment. Oak seemed to realize something was wrong.

"Alder, please, tell her I'll go hunt right away," he said, his tone begging.

"It's too late, Oak," he meowed somberly. "Just get it over with."

Oak swallowed nervously, then slowly crouched down. Nettle and Marigold both scrambled down, looking up at him with confusion clear.

"Is something wrong, Oak?" Nettle asked, the tom standing. He looked down at them, silent for a long moment. Eventually he smiled, though Alder could tell he was scared. He'd known him long enough to tell immediately.

"No, Nettle," he answered. "I just...I made a mistake. And mistakes have consequences."

"Is it our fault?" Marigold asked worriedly, the tom crouching down.

"No," he whispered, licking both their heads. Alder's chest tightened. "No, it's not your fault. And I better not hear you about you thinking that it is."

"Oak," Alder prodded softly, laying the tip of his tail on the tom's flank. Oak closed his eyes, slowly standing.

"Yeah," he meowed, turning and padding towards Holly's den with his tail hanging.

Alder started padding for the camp exit, not wanting to stick around for what happened. He couldn't escaped the pained screech.

**I won't be making a habit of writing end-notes. I simply wanted to say that I read Squirrelflight's Hope in-between the AN at the start and finishing the chapter and I could not be more brokenhearted than I am now. That is all.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello, everybody, once again. It's good to see you all, and I do apologize for the length of time between chapter 2 and chapter 3. I got a bit caught up with some other things, as I explained. Hopefully I'll be a bit more regular with updates, however I can make no promises. I can't say that people are asking about anything at the time of writing this, but for the time being I am working the main story with the Alder story in two different times, like Ciri and Geralt in The Witcher. They'll converge about halfway through the story, in a rather important way. You'll like it, I do believe. This chapter will be explaining _some _of the backstory between Ivytail and Snakepelt with a flashback, but not all. But that's enough of that, it's time to get onto the story.**

Ivytail sat in his den, tail flicking back and forth at random, as the sun started to rise above the trees. Echofoot was sleeping in the nest a few tail-lengths away, his wound dressed. It wasn't serious, but he still wanted to keep an eye on it for a while. Until he was satisfied, he wasn't letting the younger tom leave the den except to make dirt or fetch prey. Some would call him overbearing, and he was fine with that. He'd rather keep a cat under watch for too long than not long enough.

Cloverfoot had stopped by shortly after dawn the previous day, apologizing to the tom for wounding him like she had. Echofoot had replied that he'd been out of line, and that he was just thankful she hadn't aimed for his eye. Ivytail was glad that there was no bad blood between them, though he was surprised. Even more surprised that Cherrytail and Cloverfoot seemed to have moved on from their argument as quickly as they had.

Cloverfoot had always been quick to forgive, so he'd expected it of her, but Cherrytail was the exact opposite. That she'd been so willing to try to be friends with Cloverfoot was a miracle, as far as he was concerned.

_'Perhaps she's getting soft in her old age,'_ he thought to himself with amusement, glancing back at Echofoot briefly before standing up and padding out of his den. Brackenfur was standing under Highledge, organizing the day's patrols. Foxear, Deertail, and Fernpaw were padding towards the camp entrance, and a moment later Tigerstripe turned from Brackenfur and hurried after them. Sorrelstripe watched him leave from near the warrior's den, tail flicking idly.

Waspkit tumbled out of the nursery, Brownkit right behind him, and the two of them tumbled across the ground as they started playfighting. It was practically the only thing they did, and he found amusement in their single-minded focus on it. Brackenfur, not so much.

"Waspkit, Brownkit, watch where you're going," he meowed as they nearly barged into him, the two kits looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Sorry Brackenfur," Waspkit squeaked, Brownkit repeating it, and the two hurried off towards an unoccupied spot in the camp. Brackenfur shook his head and rolled his eyes, though a faint smile betrayed his amusement at their usual antics. Occasionally bumping into another cat aside, they were remarkably well-behaved for kits. He considered it a miracle, and he made it no secret that he would love to see more kits as well-behaved as them.

His ear twitched as Jaystar came down from their den, the she-cat watching silently as a dawn hunting patrol – made up of Qailbelly, Spruceflower, Lionpaw, and Sagepatch – left camp. He turned to look at her. "Hey, Jay," he said warmly, the she-cat rolling her eyes.

"Must you keep calling me that?" she asked, though she couldn't hide the fact she secretly enjoyed it from him. He could tell, easily.

"Our agreement was I wouldn't call you that when others might hear," the tom meowed, licking the side of her head. "Nobody's within earshot, therefore..."

"Alright, fine," she replied, huffing quietly. "Who do you have for the patrols?"

"Dawn patrols are out," he answered. "Foxear, Deertail, Fernpaw, and Tigerstripe are checking the borders. Qailbelly, Spruceflower, Lionpaw, and Sagepatch are going hunting."

"What about noon and evening?" Jaystar asked, the tom huffing softly in amusement.

"Haven't sorted them out yet," he said. "Wanted to see who was available during those times before I decided."

"Fair," Jaystar meowed, looking over to where Waspkit and Brownkit were playfighting. "I swear, that's all that they do besides sleep and eat."

"Could be worse," Brackenfur meowed, looking at her. "Could be a repeat of you, Cloverfoot, and I."

"Oh, Starclan above, don't remind me," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "We got in so much trouble. It's a miracle I was ever elected deputy."

"It really is," Brackenfur said playfully. Jaystar gently shoved him with her shoulder, scoffing at him in mock hurt.

"I can still decide somebody else is better fit for the role of deputy," she jokingly threatened, getting a chuckle from Brackenfur.

"I honestly never expected you to make me your deputy," he said, lowering his gaze briefly. "I'd have thought you would decide that the rumors wouldn't be worth the benefits."

"I've heard of no such rumors," Jaystar meowed curiously, tilting her head.

"Because you convinced them you chose me for valid reasons," he replied. "A lot of cats probably thought you chose me because I was your mate. They thought you were losing your touch."

"If having kits didn't impair my ability to make decisions, then I do not see why having you as a mate would do so," the she-cat meowed. She almost seemed angry that cats would think that, though he could tell she knew they were also valid concerns.

"I know that," Brackenfur meowed softly, smiling warmly at her. "It wasn't me you had to convince, though. And you _did _convince them, so no harm done."

"I suppose," she replied, looking around the camp. "Thank you for bringing them to my attention anyway, even if a bit late to be of help."

"I figured you knew they would be going around," he said, shrugging. "You usually catch on to those kinds of things."

"That is true," Jaystar meowed distractedly, staring towards the camp entrance. Her ear twitched, and she immediately stood and started padding towards the entrance only a heartbeat before it shook and in rushed Snakepelt. Brackenfur blinked, surprised to see him again so soon.

The tom was panting, out of breath. His fur was disheveled, eyes wide. He seemed panicked. "Ivytail!" he yowled, the fear in his voice freezing Brackenfur in his place for several heartbeats. The grey-furred tom rushed from the medicine cat den, his eyes wide in surprise and worry.

"Snakepelt, what's wrong?" he asked as he padded over. The tom didn't answer, simply turning and running back through the camp entrance. Ivytail glanced at Jaystar, not even giving her time to blink before he ran after the Shadowclan medicine cat.

"Ivytail!" Jaystar called, but the tom was already gone. She sighed, looking around. Brackenfur met her gaze, noted the look in her eyes, and he whipped his head around camp.

"Dewpelt, Jackdawpaw, Spottedfur, with me!" he yowled, the three named cats rushing after him as he ran out of the camp entrance, hard on the paws of Jaystar.

Ivytail jumped over a fallen log, weaving through the trees as he pelted after Snakepelt towards Shadowclan territory. This behavior was unlike the older tom, which meant something bad was happening. Something really, _really _bad. And if something was bad enough to scare Snakepelt, Ivytail needed to help him.

The two toms raced across the border, Ivytail not even bothering to stay close to the lake. If Snakepelt felt the need to run all the way to Thunderclan camp and back to his, with barely a moment to slow or rest, then Ivytail figured he could be forgiven the minor transgression.

Jaystar and the warriors accompanying her crossed only a few moments later, close behind the two medicine cats but still not close enough to see them.

"W-what's wrong with Snakepelt?" Dewpelt asked as they ran.

Nobody answered, too focused on catching up to waste their breath.

Snakepelt and Ivytail skidded to a stop as they entered Shadowclan camp, though Ivytail didn't have time to rest before Snakepelt started padding towards his den. A few cats murmured as Ivytail followed him, though nobody stopped them or asked why he was there. He had to assume they had been expecting him.

"Snakepelt, what's this about?" Ivytail asked, the older tom not answering him; he didn't have to. Ivytail's eyes widened in shock when he saw Ratpaw in the nest reserved for sick or injured cats, looking at Snakepelt with worry. "What happened to her?"

"I don't know," the older tom said, shaking his head. "She said that..." He shut his eyes, taking a breath to steady himself. Ivytail faintly registered the sounds of cats having an argument in the camp clearing, but he paid it no mind. It wasn't until the sound of a cat entering the medicine cat den that he turned.

"Can you tell me whatever you know about-" He blinked, caught off guard by Jaystar and Rosestar. "Uh, Jaystar, why are you here?"

"Why do you think!?" she hissed, anger in her voice. "You ran off suddenly, following Snakepelt, and me and Brackenfur and several warriors tried to catch up to you!"

"That wasn't really necessary," Ivytail said, tilting his head. "It's not against the code to follow a cat who clearly wants you to follow them and are in a hurry."

"You could have at least _asked_," Jaystar said, though her tone was somewhat calmer now. She took a deep breath, then looked at Rosestar. "I'm sorry for barging into your camp with a patrol at my back like I did. I had no idea what was going on."

"I understand, Jaystar," Rosestar replied, smiling softly. "I would have done the same in your stead."

"This is nice and all, but can we get back to the issue at paw!?" Snakepelt snapped, irritation in his voice. Ivytail's head whipped around, eyes wise in surprise. He'd only ever seen the older tom so upset once before, and it wasn't a time either of them looked back on fondly.

"Snakepelt, control yourself!" Rosestar meowed harshly. The tom glared at her, his intent clearly far from that.

"It's fine, Rosestar," Jaystar said placatingly, the Shadowclan leader glancing at her. She relaxed, nodding her head.

"Right," she conceded. "Sorry. Emotional attachments are...difficult for me to understand, as you know."

"I shouldn't have snapped like that," Snakepelt said, looking between the leaders apologetically. "And nobody holds that against you, Rosestar. You're a fantastic leader, and a great cat on top of that in spite of everything. But if you don't mind – both of you – I would like to focus on finding out what's wrong with my apprentice, and I need Ivytail's help."

"Of course," Rosetar said, dipping her head. Jaystar looked at Ivytail, who nodded in response, then turned and padded out of the den behind Rosestar. Ivytail turned back to the unconscious apprentice, looking down at her curiously.

"Did she complain of chest pains before...this?" he asked, Snakepelt remaining silent for a moment.

"No," he finally answered, Ivytail frowning in response. "No, nothing. She just...she just collapsed and went into a fit."

"It sort of reminds me of the few days before..." Ivytail trailed off, glancing up at Snakepelt. The tom's eyes were glistening, clearly having made the same connection he had.

"She'll be fine," the Shadowclan medicine cat meowed firmly, taking a deep breath. "She has to be."

"You've had her as an apprentice for less than a moon, but you're already really close," Ivytail observed, somewhat surprised.

"I'm old, Ivytail," Snakepelt meowed, looking at the tom. "I don't have the leisure to let Starclan decide if I need to find another apprentice or not. If she doesn't pull through, I don't think I'll have a chance to train somebody else."

"Snakepelt, you're not _that _old," Ivytail said, the tired tone in Snakepelt's voice worrying him. He'd heard the same tired, defeat-laden tone in the tom's mentor shortly before he'd died. "Plenty of cats have lived longer and still been capable of doing their duties."

"If I were a warrior, Rosestar would have accepted my retirement moons ago," Snakepelt replied. "When Ratpaw finishes her training, I'm going to ask if I can join Pinefur in the elder's den. He'd make for good company. I refuse to work myself to death and make Ratpaw go through the same thing I did with Tawnyspots."

"You're not as old as Tawnyspots was, Snakepelt," Ivytail meowed, taking a step forward. He was worried for his friend. "You'll be fine as a medicine cat for a while longer." He hesitated, then dipped his head. "However, if you truly want that, then I will accept it without complaint."

"Thank you," Snakepelt said softly, visibly relaxing. "It means a lot that you accept my decision."

"I know," Ivytail replied. He looked down, clearing his throat. "We're getting distracted. What can you tell me about her condition?"

"Her initial fit aside, she seems perfectly fine," the older tom meowed, lowering himself down and gently nudging the she-cat. "It's so similar to the stress fit he went through, though..."

"I know you can be overbearing, but I highly doubt you've stressed her out in only a few days enough to cause this," Ivytail said, knowing the joke was a calculated risk. Snakepelt glanced up at him, an ear flick giving away his amusement. "Alright, what else? Is there anything you think we can do?"

"I don't think so," Snakepelt answered, sighing. "But I still want to try. I know how to treat fits and their underlying causes better than I used to, at least the ones that can be treated. And you've come a long way from that terrified apprentice you used to be."

"We've both come a long way," Ivytail replied, Snakepelt nodding but otherwise not responding. He was silent, thinking deeply. "She's never had these kinds of fits before?"

"Her father is prone to stress fits, sometimes, but it's not common even for him. This is a first for her, and I don't even know if it _is _due to stress. All I've taught her so far is what herbs grow around the lake, what we have access to, and their general uses. Stress would only make sense if she was trying to memorize everything harder than she should be."

"Perhaps she just gets stressed easily, and inherited her father's predisposition to stress fits," Ivytail suggested, tilting his head. "It's not an ideal situation, but it would make sense."

"It's possible," Snakepelt conceded, though he seemed even less happy at the idea. "She wouldn't be able to perform her duties as a medicine cat, though."

"Most likely not, no," Ivytail agreed. A visible sadness took over Snakepelt, the Thunderclan medicine cat hesitating a moment before padding over and giving him a gentle, comforting nudge with his shoulder. "Let's wait until she wakes up before we make a decision based on speculation. We could put her into a stressful situation, see what happens."

"What if it kills her?" Snakepelt asked, looking at him. "We don't know what's wrong with her. If it is stress, and we put her under more, it might be too much."

"That is a possibility," Ivytail conceded. "But would you rather leave it up to chance? We have to be sure this is what's wrong with her."

Snakepelt didn't say anything for a long moment, and after a moment he tilted his head. He stepped closer to Ratpaw, lowering his head and moving closer to her mouth. "Ivytail, pry her jaws open," he said, a tinge of dread in his meow. He seemed to have noticed something.

"What do you see?" the Thunderclan medicine cat asked as he moved around to the other side of the Shadowclan apprentice, doing his best to force open her jaws. As soon as her jaws were open a little Snakepelt let out a stuttered gasp, eyes widening.

"That's deathberry flesh," he whispered, looking up at Ivytail. The younger tom's pelt bristled.

"If she's still alive, she couldn't have ingested a whole one," he meowed after a moment. "It's possible that only a trace amount of the poison entered her system trying to...do whatever it was she was doing."

"Yes, that would make sense," Snakepelt said softly, slowly extending a paw and hooking the deathberry flesh out of her mouth. He flicked it away towards the den wall, then looked down at her. "Thyme. We need to give her thyme."

"Our paws are too big to get it down her throat," Ivytail said, blinking suddenly as an idea came to him. "We need another apprentice."

"Chew up the thyme, it's over there," Snakepelt said, gesturing further into the den. Ivytail nodded, already knowing where to look, and hurried over to the herb storage and pulled some thyme and a normal leaf out. Snakepelt ran from the den, meowing loudly that he needed an apprentice to help him with something. It was a few moments later that he entered, a Shadowclan apprentice behind him.

Ivytail nodded his head but said nothing, busy chewing the thyme into a pulp.

"I'm Bristlepaw," the apprentice said. He looked down at Ratpaw. "How can I help."

"You need to force the thyme Ivytail is chewing up down her throat," Snakepelt answered as Ivytail spat the pulp out onto a leaf. "Our paws are too big. We'll help her swallow it, but you need to get it as far as you can."

"A-alright," Bristlepaw meowed hesitantly, padding closer to Ivytail. The Thunderclan tom showed him how to get it onto his paw. Bristlepaw approached Ratpaw, the pulp on his paw, and Ivytail and Snakepelt forced Ratpaw's jaws open as carefully as they could. Bristlepaw gently stuck his paw into her mouth, getting it as far in as he could before shifting his paw and slowly sliding it back out. As soon as Ivytail and Snakepelt saw the pulp wasn't on his paw, they let Ratpaw's jaws close and gently started to massage her throat to get the pulp down.

A moment passes before the desired effect occurred, the young she-cat shaking slightly as the thyme brought whatever she had in her up. Snakepelt didn't hesitate to sort through it, indicating with his tail that Bristlepaw could leave. The younger tom hesitated, then padded out of the den with a glance back as he exited.

"Here, look," Snakepelt said, grabbing Ivytail's attention. The Thunderclan medicine cat lowered himself down, looking where his paw was. "This looks like part of a seed."

"Could she have been trying to take the seeds out, but one broke without her realizing and went down her throat when she ate?" Ivytail questioned, tilting his head. "I don't know why she would be using her mouth to take them out, though."

"We'll ask when she wakes up," Snakepelt said, Ivytail nodding. The two toms closed their eyes, letting out loud sighs as they forced themselves to relax.

"At least it wasn't as debilitating as we feared," he meowed softly.

"I don't know how I missed it," Snakepelt said, shaking his head in obvious disappointment in himself. "I looked her over before I came to get you. I should have noticed."

"You're not perfect, Snakepelt," Ivytail replied, his voice soft, comforting. "None of us are. We make mistakes."

"Our mistakes tend to cost lives," Snakepelt replied. "Especially involving deathberries."

"It didn't, though," Ivytail said reassuringly, stepping forward. "She'll be fine, Snakepelt. It doesn't seem like she ingested a whole seed. If she didn't, then we have no reason to believe anything else."

"Let's go outside," Snakepelt said, standing and walking past Ivytail. The younger tom followed him, the both of them exiting and finding Jaystar and the other Thunderclan warriors seemed to have left. Rosestar was watching from near her den, as were a few warriors, but no cats approached them.

"I'm glad I could help," Ivytail said, looking at Snakepelt. The older tom smiled softly.

"Today was so weird," Snakepelt muttered, shaking his head. "I've been a medicine cat for so long, and I'm making apprentice level mistakes left and right."

"You were scared and under stress, Snakepelt," Ivytail meowed reassuringly. "We've all made mistakes in the heat of the moment. Your emotions got the better of you. It happens. You don't need to be ashamed of that."

"I'm a medicine cat," Snakepelt replied, sounding dejected. "I'm supposed to be better than that."

"No cat in existence is better than that," Ivytail said, smiling warmly. "Well, besides maybe Rosestar."

Snakepelt chuckled, hanging his head for a moment before raising it once more. "Funny," he said sarcastically, a smile touching his muzzle as he looked around the camp. "I know the clans are friendly right now, but you probably won't be welcome here much longer."

"I had a suspicion you didn't ask for permission to come and bring me to the Shadowclan camp," Ivytail said playfully, looking at Snakepelt with an amused shine in his eyes.

"You've always told me it's sometimes better to ask for forgiveness than permission," Snakepelt replied. "I decided to follow your advice just this once."

"I like to imagine I have much more useful advice than that," Ivytail commented. He gently nudged the older tom with his shoulder. "She's going to be fine, Snakepelt. And if she's not, I will personally go to the Moonpool and try to get her back."

"Starclan wouldn't do that," Snakepelt meowed, shaking his head.

"Wouldn't stop me from trying," Ivytail replied. Snakepelt looked at him, his expression softening.

"You're a good friend, Ivytail," he said, his body noticeably more relaxed than it had been since he'd rushed into Thunderclan camp, yowling for the younger tom. "I couldn't ask for a better one, even if you are a Thunderclan cat."

"Gee, thanks," Ivytail muttered with mock annoyance. He chuckled.

Both toms whipped their heads around when they heard a weak cough come from the medicine cat den, Ivytail letting Snakepelt enter first. Ratpaw was in the process of trying to sit up.

"Ratpaw, lay back down!" Snakepelt exclaimed, the she-cat looking up at him in surprise. "You need to rest."

"I'm fine, Snakepelt," Ratpaw replied, trying to brush off his worry and make him think she was in beter condition than she was.

"Lay back down," Snakepelt repeated, his tone firm and making even Ivytail want to obey him. Ratpaw sighed, then lowered herself back down. "What were you doing with deathberries?"

Ratpaw averted her gaze, looking everywhere but Snakepelt and Ivytail. The Thunderclan tom was silent for a long moment, then blinked.

"She didn't realize what they were," he meowed, Snakepelt looking at him.

"I've told her about them, though," he replied.

"I'd never seen them," Ratpaw said, Snakepelt faltering. "I knew that they looked similar to what you said deathberries looked like, but I figured it was just a similar-looking berry to try and ward off animals from eating it."

"A good mindset to have when you encounter a strange plant is to always assume it can harm you," Ivytail meowed, understanding the she-cat's thought process, but not wanting to encourage it. "Even if you don't think they can. And if you must use them as herbs, then be very careful and accept responsibility if it doesn't do what you think it will."

"I understand, Ivytail," Ratpaw said softly. Snakepelt looked over at the tom, dipping his head. Ivytail dipped his head in response, understanding what he was saying without words.

"I'll see you around, Ratpaw," he said. "Try not to mess with any mystery plants in the mean time."

"I'll do my best," the she-cat replied, smiling playfully. Ivytail stifled his amusement, dipping his head in farewell and turning.

He let Rosestar know that Ratpaw was recovering, then informed her he was returning home. She thanked him for his help, and he simply told her that Snakepelt would have done the same. After that he turned and padded out of camp, the forest a little quieter than normal as he made his way along the lake shore back to Thunderclan territory. It left him alone with his thoughts, which he was always grateful for. He liked having time to think about stuff.

It took him a while to return to camp, though admittedly he had taken his time for most of the journey. He informed Jaystar and Brackenfur that the situation was over and that Ratpaw was recovering, though he omitted what had caused it. They seemed to pick up on his reluctance to divulge that information and didn't push the subject. That done, he made his way to the medicine cat den to look over his herbs. He'd been in the middle of assessing his stockpile when Snakepelt had arrived, and he wanted to finish up.

Alder lowered his head, sniffing the ground. It had only been a day since he'd left the clearing, and he was having trouble convincing himself that what he was doing was right. He'd been raised to value family above all else, and to punish those who placed more value on themselves. But after what had happened to Oak, compounded with his feelings for the she-cat he'd been meeting every night for what had felt like mere minutes each time, he'd come to realize that perhaps he wasn't where he belonged. Oak's punishment made no sense with the way Holly placed emphasis on family. After all, hadn't the tom been putting his family above everything else? He'd been expressing the exact values that Holly said was the only way to live, and yet he'd been punished for it.

Shaking his head, Alder stood up and looked around. He followed the scent trail he'd picked up earlier in the day, eventually coming to a wall of bushes. It surprised him, as a wall of plants usually meant Twolegs, but there was zero indication they were present. Slowly, hesitantly, approaching the bushes and moving through them, brought him into a small area surrounded by more walls of bushes. A white she-cat he didn't know or recognize stood in front of a hole in the ground, eyes wide in surprise as she stared at him. One paw was off the ground, indicating she'd been in the middle of walking when he'd come through the bushes.

"W-who are you?" she asked, nervousness clear.

"I'm Alder," the tom answered. "Who are you?"

"...Snow," the she-cat finally answered. Snow glanced around. "Why are you here, Alder?"

"I'm...searching for somebody," he said, hesitant to reveal his full reasoning for coming to what he assumed to be her home. "My mother would like to meet them, but they seem to have moved from the spot they usually stay at."

"A she-cat?" Snow asked, tilting her head curiously. "One came through a few days ago, told me she wanted to get away from somebody who she said was dangerous. I'm assuming that was you."

"More likely my mother," he replied, sighing and hanging his head. "She's not exactly forgiving."

"Judging by the fact you think that, I don't suspect you'll be willing to lead her to the she-cat you're searching for," Snow meowed, seeming a little more relaxed now. "It's good to think for yourself."

"I don't have a choice," Alder said, shaking his head sadly. "If I don't, I have no idea what will happen."

"That's kind of sad," Snow commented. Alder blinked, then averted his gaze. "Could always lead her to wherever the she-cat is, then lie and say she isn't there."

"She'll know," Alder said, looking down at the ground. "She can always tell when somebody is lying to her."

"Then I guess you'll have to decide who you value more," Snow meowed. "Your mother, or this she-cat you're chasing."

"I guess I will," Alder replied, standing up. He sighed, dipping his head in farewell and padding past her and out of the other side of the bushes. A thought occurred to him as he continued on his way. He could pretend that Snow was the she-cat he'd been seeing, lead Holly to her. That would keep his mother from finding the actual she-cat he'd been seeing, which was good, but that meant he'd be killing an innocent cat to protect somebody he didn't even know for a fact felt the same way about him that he felt about her. That would be wrong.

Alder sighed sadly, knowing he would have to make a choice before he returned to Holly and the others. What his choice would be, he didn't yet know. That felt worse than the knowledge he had to make one at all.


End file.
